BackgroundTo prevent burn injuries it is vital to have sound information on predictors of its occurrence in different settings. Ardabil Province is the coldest province of Iran with high burden of burn injuries. The aim of this study was to determine the household related predictors of unintentional burns in Ardabil Province located at North-West of Iran.MethodsThe study was conducted through a hospital based case–control design. 239 burn victims as well as 246 hospital-based controls were enrolled. Both bivariate and multivariate analysis methods were used.ResultsMales comprised 55.2% of all the study subjects. Mean age of the participants was 21.8 years (95% CI: 19.17-24.4). The economic ability of the households was associated with risk of burn injuries. Multivariate conditional logistic regression results showed the following variables to be independent factors associated with burn injuries. Using non-conventional pipe-less air heaters instead of conventional piped kerosene- or gas-burning heaters (Odds ratio: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.1-3.6). Common use of picnic gas-stove for cooking at home (odds ratio = 1.6, 95%CI: 1–2.4). Using electric samovars instead of other types of samovars (Odds ratio = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-1). Using samovars lacking the national standard authorization mark (Odds ratio = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.4-3.6).ConclusionUsing some types of specific heating or cooking appliances, and unsafe use of conventional appliances were major risk predictors of burn injuries in this population.

Context: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity; despite the use of neuroprotective agents for TBI management, no evidence-based recommendation for any particular neuroprotective agent with favorable outcomes and less adverse effects has been made in TBI management. Objectives: We aimed to assess the efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO) use for TBI management. Data Sources: This study is part of a review on neuroprotective agents used for traumatic brain injury: A systematic review and meta-analyses was done, based on a wide search strategy incorporating information from Cochrane CENTRAL, MedLine/PubMed, SCOPUS, Thomson Reuters Web of Science, SID.ir, Barekat Foundation, and clinicaltrials.gov databases up to September 06, 2015. Study Selection: The present study limited the retrieved search results only to those using EPO for TBI management. Data Extraction: The retrieved randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were assessed for their quality of reporting according to the consolidated standards of reporting trials (CONSORT) checklist prior to extracting the data for meta-analysis. The meta-analyses in this review was conducted using the extended Glasgow outcome scale (GOS-E) for acute TBI patients, mortalities, and adverse-effects. Results: Four RCTs were retrieved on EPO use for acute TBI, and two of them were kept for the final analysis. The analysis of the enrolled 645 participants in these studies showed insignificant but slightly better outcomes in the placebo group, while a significant reduction in mortality rates among EPO users was observed. Slightly better outcomes in vascular and non-vascular side-effects were also observed in the intervention group. Conclusions: EPO may be considered as effective in reducing TBI mortality and vascular side-effects, while there is no evidence to support any benefits in other outcomes or for the elimination of non-vascular side-effects. Further studies, especially well-designed phase-III dose-controlled trials, are needed for building a stronger body of evidence for recommending the use of EPO for acute TBI.Keywords: Head Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Neuroprotective Agent, Erythropoietin, Review ContextTraumatic brain injury (TBI), which is also known as head injury (1-3), is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity (1, 4-6), especially among those of young ages (1).Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the following facts about TBI in the U.S. (1, 4): -There is an incidence rate of 558 cases per 100,000 people each year.-TBI-related disability cases are estimated as rising by 33 new cases per 100,000 people each year.-They cause more than 50,000 deaths each year.-Motor vehicle collisions (MVC) are responsible for 50% of TBI cases.TBI costs more than $48 billion a year, and between 2.5 and 6.5 million Americans alive today have been victims of a TBI-related assault. Survivors of TBI are often left with significant cognitive, behavioral, and communicative disabilities (7).Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone of the cy...

Medulloblastoma is common in children as a tumor of midline posterior fossa, which arises from vermis and appears as a homogenously enhancing hyperdense mass on computed tomography scan and is associated with the clinical picture of posterior fossa syndrome. This unique clinic-radiological pattern in considered “typical” medulloblastoma, but medulloblastomas does not follow the typical clinic-radiological pattern in a significant number of children and adult cases. We review here the previous reports of atypical or uncommon features of medulloblastoma and add our very rare atypical cases of medulloblastomas to this list. Medulloblastoma should be considered in all midline posterior fossa tumors, hemisphere and cerebellopontine angle despite having clinical and radiological features suggestive of other tumors. Definitive diagnosis requires histologic confirmation in all cases.

Abstract:Background:Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity especially in young ages. Despite over 30 years of using Neuroprotective agents for TBI management, there is no absolute recommended agent for the condition yet. Methods:This study is a part of a scoping review thesis on "Neuroprotective agents using for Traumatic Brain Injury: a systematic review & meta-analyses", which had a wide proposal keywords and ran in "Cochrane CENTRAL", "MedLine/PubMed", "SCOPUS", "Thomson Reuters Web of Science", "SID.ir", "Barket Foundation", and "clinicaltrials.gov" databases up to September 06, 2015. This study limits the retrieved search results only to those which used \citicoline for TBI management. The included Randomized Clinical Trials’ (RCTs) were assessed for their quality of reporting by adapting CONSORT-checklist prior to extracting their data into meta-analysis. Meta-analyses of this review were conducted by Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) in acute TBI patients and total neuropsychological assessments in both acute and chronic TBI management, mortalities and adverse-effects. Results:Four RCTs were retrieved and included in this review with 1196 participants (10 were chronic TBI impaired patients); the analysis of 1128 patients for their favorable GOS outcomes in two studies showed no significant difference between the study groups; however, neuropsychological outcomes were significantly better in placebo/control group of 971 patients of three studies. Mortality rates and adverse-effects analysis based on two studies with 1429 patients showed no significant difference between the study groups. However, two other studies have neither mortality nor adverse effects reports due to their protocol. Conclusions:Citicoline use for acute TBI seems to have no field of support anymore, whereas it may have some benefits in improving the neuro-cognitive state in chronic TBI patients. It’s also recommended to keep in mind acute interventions like Psychological First Aid (PFA) during acute TBI management.

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